Mitered Squares

I believe when most yarn artists hear the term "mitered squares", they think of knitting.  I remember seeing patterns for knitted mitered afghans before I saw anything like it for crocheting.

The knitted ones start with the long edge and decrease into the center point at the other end of the square.  Squares build off of previous squares so you do not need to sew anything together at the end.


http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L20018.html?noImages=0


http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L10627.html?noImages=0

Lion Brand Yarn patterns have the crocheted mitering work from the long edge to the middle point just like it is in the knitted version.  However, these squares are made separately and then sewn together when they are finished.

In other places such as Ravelry, I've found crocheted mitered squares made from the small point and using increases to work out to the longer edge.  These also must be sewn together at the end of the project.

Tunisian crochet, being a craft that combines knit and crochet, works the stitches in much the same way as knitted mitered squares.  Each block is built on the previous row, the long edge is done first, and the rows decrease until they come to the opposite point.  They can be done row by row or from the center out.  I don't have the permissions I need to post a picture of this type , but they can easily be found in Google images as mentioned in previous posts.

If you prefer loom knitting, I found this website with a tutorial on mitering squares on a knitting loom: http://www.knitchat.com/tutorials/mitered-square-magic/

Happy crafting,

Kathi

Crochet Entrelac

It's been maybe a year ago that I watched a lady in the knitting group work on an entrelac pattern. She tried to show me how to do it, but, not being much of a knitter, I failed to grasp the ins and outs of the stitch. 

That didn't stop me from being fascinated with the look of the pattern, and I went on a crochet stitch hunt. I found two ways to accomplish something like it.

The first way, and the one that most closely resembles a knitted entrelac piece is crocheted with a Tunisian stitch.  Because you only pick up 5 or 6 stitches at a time, you don't need a special Tunisian hook for this pattern.  Each row is a string of diamond shapes built on the row of diamonds below it.



The second way to make an entrelac-like pattern is to make a bunch of mitered squares and sew them together diamond-wise with one color per row.  You can alternate colors or make a color sequence that pleases you.



One book that you can find here in the library with a pattern for the Tunisian entrelac stitch is called Unexpected Afghans: Innovative Crochet Designs with Traditional Techniques by Robyn Chachula.

Another book explaining this technique is Ultimate Crochet Bible: A Complete Reference with Step-by-Step Techniques by Jane Crowfoot.  This book can be put on hold and borrowed from another Evergreen Indiana library.

Thanks again to Lion Brand Yarns for letting us use their photos. The top one is called "Enticing Baby Afghan" and the lower one is called "Mitered Diamonds Throw".

Happy crafting,

Kathi

Domino Knitting

Although I have not tried my hand at domino knitting yet, I think it looks absolutely fascinating. The gist of the technique goes something like this: The squares are mitered garter stitch. Each square is attached to the previous one.

Using a connect-as-you-go pattern means you can use two or more colors without having to sew the little pieces together. The visual effect is that of diamond shapes strung point to point.

This looks like a great way to use up your stash or to blend selected colors in a simple and interesting way.

A couple of library books that explain the technique are:
Knit to Be Square: Domino Designs to Knit and Felt by Vivian Hoxbro and
Modular Knits: New Techniques for Today's Knitters by Iris Schreier

Happy crafting,
Kathi Linz